Wenger rejected Fulham job before they approached Ranieri

Fulham announced on Wednesday that the club had sacked Slavisa Jokanović and hired former Chelsea and Leicester boss, Claudio Ranieri in his place. Apparently, Jokanović was informed of his dismissal just an hour before Ranieri’s appointment was announced.

It came as a shock, despite Fulham’s terrible form, as many did not expect to see Ranieri back in the Premier League just yet, if ever.

The Telegraph are now reporting that Fulham approached Arsène Wenger first, but the former Arsenal manager turned down the chance to take over at Craven Cottage.

Fulham owner Shaid Khan is good friends with Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, who will have recommended Wenger despite a decline in form during his latter years at the Emirates.

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Wenger is sticking to his vow not to manage another Premier League club after Arsenal, whom he left at the end of last season, bringing a 22-year reign to an end.

Also, he presumably didn’t fancy a relegation battle and knows that bigger job offers will come his way in the near future. For instance, the Bayern Munich job could soon become available and Wenger is understood to be interest in taking over from Niko Kovac if the opportunity presents itself.

Bayern are currently seven points behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga after losing Der Klassiker to their arch rivals 3-2 last weekend.